Garment and load attachment system

ABSTRACT

A garment with a load attachment system. The garment has a plurality of spaced apart rows of loop members. The attachment device includes a clip member with an arm having fingers at opposite ends thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the fingers and arm define generally oppositely opening slots. A load is removably mounted to the garment with the attachment device by a loop member being received in a respective slot.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser.No. 60/766,727, filed Feb. 8, 2006, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Over the years, numerous systems have been devised for carryingequipment on one's person, particularly in the military and lawenforcement area. In this evolution, modular means of carrying equipmenthave been devised. One of the later systems is referred to as the MOLLEsystem which is an acronym for modular light weight load-carryingequipment. The system includes the use of some carrying device orgarment worn by a user, for example, a vest, waist belt, panel added toa piece of equipment, back pack, fanny pack or the like. The systemfurther involves the provision of a plurality of standardized rows ofloops associated with the carrying device and typically formed by a sewnfabric strip with the rows of loops typically being horizontallydisposed during normal use. The loops in one row are aligned verticallywith loops in adjacent rows. The loops can be made from a woven heavyweight strip of material such as nylon webbing or other suitable means.Typically, straps are utilized to retain some carried device or load,for example, a pouch, holster or the like, to the carrying device.Mounting of a carried device is usually in a manner to provide forremoval once attached. An example of a load attachment system can befound in U.S. Pat. No. 6,823,566. Modular carried devices attached to agarment can be selectively changed and re-positioned depending upon thecircumstances and the equipment to be carried. Such a system has provento be very effective in use.

One major drawback of the current MOLLE attachment systems for mountinga carried device such as a pouch to a vest or the like is that eachcarried device requires its own attachment device which increases thecost of each carried device. One form of attachment device is a hook andloop attachment assembly but this assembly can be noisy to attach anddetach which is a hindrance in certain tactical environments. The hookand loop attachment assembly may also be uncoupled inadvertently. Hookand loop fasteners also add additional labor and costs to themanufacture of the carried device since this assembly must be added tothe carried device and such assemblies can wear out over time. Somestrap system attachment devices using webbing attachment straps can alsoallow the carried device to sag and/or flop around.

There is thus a need for an improved attachment system for attachingdevices or loads to MOLLE system loops.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involves the provision of a MOLLE system whichincludes a carrying device, a carried device and an attachment systemfor releasably connecting the two devices together. The attachmentsystem includes a member having two slots with spaced apart portions forreceiving strap webbing therein. The attachment device is sized andshaped to be received through loops in a MOLLE system chain of loops andhas sufficient length to bridge at least two vertically separated chainsof loops on the carrying device. A strap forming a chain is received ineach of the two slots to mount the carried device to the carryingdevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a molle system vest with an attachmentdevice for the attachment system of the present invention attachedthereto.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of an attachmentdevice of the present invention and rows of mounting loops.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary side view of an attachmentdevice of the present invention and rows of mounting loops.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side view showing a pouch mounted to avest using an attachment device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an attachmentdevice constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention.

Like numbers throughout the various Figures designate like or similarparts or construction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1, designates generally a MOLLE carryingdevice or garment which is shown as a vest. It is to be understoodhowever that the carrying device 1 can be any suitable garmentcompatible with MOLLE system devices such as a harness, belt, shirt,legging, chest protector, backpack, fanny pack and the like. Such MOLLEcarrying devices 1 are provided with a plurality of spaced apart rows 2of loop members 3 which rows are generally in vertically spaced relationand extend generally horizontally in normal use. The loops 3 can beformed by webbing 5 (FIG. 2) sewn to an underlying support member 6 suchas a sheet of fabric with the loops 3 being positioned in the variousrows of loops to form generally vertical columns of aligned loops. Thewebbing 5 may be sewn at multiple locations as at locations 7 to theunderlying member 6. The webbing may be nylon strapping or the like. Anexample of such a MOLLE system on a vest is illustrated in U.S. PatentPublication 2005/0005343, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,020,897; the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

A carried device 11 (FIG. 3) or modular load is removably attached tothe carrying device 1 via an attachment device 15 described below. Thecarried device 11 may include pouches, holsters, ammunition clips,knife, utensils such as a flashlight, radios, OPS, map packets, watercontainers and the like. In one form of the present invention, thecarried device 11 may be provided with at least one and preferably aplurality of rows 20 of loop members 21 (FIG. 4) that are coordinatedand compatible with the rows 2 of loops 3 on the carrying device 1 suchthat the rows 20 of webbing 25 will be spaced apart generally the sameas the spacing of the webbing 5 on the carrying device 1 and will havegenerally the same width (height) as the webbing 5 on the carryingdevice 1 so that the webbing 25 on the carried device 11 will fit in thespaces between the webbing 5 on the carrying device 1. On small carrieddevices 11, a row of loops 21 may be only one loop long and only one rowhigh.

The attachment device 15 for mounting a carried device 11 to thecarrying device 1 is best seen in FIGS. 1-3. A second form or anotherembodiment of the present attachment device is shown in FIG. 5 and isdesignated generally 35. The devices 15 and 35 can have common featuresas discussed below. The device 15 is provided with two slots 42, 43formed by clip fingers 44, 45. The arm 46 and the fingers 44, 45 areconfigured to capture the loop members 3, 21, of at least two rows 2 or20 of webbing 5 or 25 each in a respective slot 42, 43 for mounting ofthe attachment device 15 to a carrying device 1. In a preferredembodiment, the slots 42, 43 are oppositely opening and are formed bythe fingers 44, 45 overlying opposite major faces 37, 38 of anintermediate connector arm 46 as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Inalternate embodiments, the fingers 44, 45 may be positioned on the sameside of the arm 45; the slots 42, 43 may open in the same direction;and/or one or more of the fingers 44, 45 forming the slots 42, 43 may betraversely offset from the arm 45, or from each other without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the illustratedstructure, the arm 46 connects fingers 44, 45 together and is preferablyintegral therewith forming a clip member. The device 15 is relativelyrigid and may be polymeric and formed by extrusion of an elongate stripwhich is then cut transversely to the desired width. The device 15 mayalso be formed by heat forming a sheet of polymeric material to formbends at closed ends 47, 48 of the slots 42, 43 to provide theoverlapping portions. The attachment device 15 may also be of a formedmetallic material.

In the illustrated structure, the slots 42, 43 have open ends 51, 52respectively with the slots 42, 43, lying generally in parallel planeswhich are also parallel to a central plane of the intermediate arm 46.Preferably, the fingers 44, 45 and arm 46 are generally rectangular inshape and have generally planar opposed surfaces. The slots 42, 43 arepreferably on opposite sides of the arm 46. The length L1 of the arm 46in one embodiment is significantly longer than the lengths L2, L3 of theslots 42, 43 respectively as illustrated in FIG. 2. Preferably, thelength L1 is greater than about three times the height H, FIGS. 2 and 3,of the webbing 5 and 25 (both preferably having the same height), thelength L2 is preferably equal to at least about the height H andpreferably to at least about twice the height H (2H), and L3 ispreferably approximately equal to the height H. Preferably, the distalend of each finger 44, 45 are spaced apart along the arm 46 a distanceof at least about the height H and preferably at least about 2H suchthat the distal end portions of the fingers 44 and 45 do not overlap. Inthe illustrated structure, the free ends of the fingers 44, 45 aretapered to provide a tapered lead in into the respective slot 42, 43.The fingers 44, 45 are preferably resiliently bendable relative to thearm 46 and the relaxed thickness of the slots 42, 43 is approximatelyequal to or less than the thickness of the webbing 5, 25 forming thechains of loops 3, 21 so as to apply a force to the webbing 5, 25 whenpositioned therebetween.

As seen in FIG. 4, mounting the attachment device 15 to both thecarrying device 1 and the carried device 11 is accomplished by placingthe finger 44 on the inside of a loop 3 associated with the carryingdevice 1, extending through the loop with the arm 46 being positioned onthe outside of the webbing 5 with the loop 3 being in the slot 42. Thearm 46 is then inserted through a topmost loop 21 associated with thecarried device 11 such that the webbing 25 of a loop 21 on the carrieddevice 11 is on the inside surface and can also be positioned within theslot 42 depending upon the length of the finger 44. The ann 46 is thenextended through a loop 3 on the carrying device 1 interlocking thechains of webbing 5, 25. After passing through the loop 3 on thecarrying device, the arm 46 may then be extended through another loop 21on the inside between the carried device 11 and the inside surface ofthe loop and then through another loop 3 on the carrying device 1 whichwill have a portion thereof positioned within the slot 43. The length L1of the arm 46 is approximately equal to the spacing between the top andbottom closed ends 47, 48 respectively of the slots 42, 43 and isapproximately equal to the spacing S1 between oppositely facing edges ofan odd number of the chains of webbing 5 and intervening spaces 49 (twoin FIG. 3) on the carrying device 1 as best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and4. The height of a space 49 between adjacent rows of webbing 5, 25 isapproximately equal to the height H of the webbing. While it is shownthat the fingers 44, 45 are secured to the chains of webbing 5 of thecarrying device 1, they may be reversed and be attached to the carrieddevice 11 as an alternate rigging. There will be at least one row ofwebbing on the carried device 11 (or carrying device 1 depending on therigging method) and at least two rows of webbing on the other of thecarrying device 1 (or carried device 11 depending on the rigging method)cooperating with the attachment device 15 for securing the same togetherand the load to the garment. In a preferred embodiment, at least tworows of webbing are encompassed or received within the slot 42, andpreferably only one row of webbing is encompassed or received within theslot 43.

FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment 35 of the present invention that isparticularly useful for carrying hardware, for example, a holster thatcould exhibit a rotational moment or torque on an attachment devicebecause of an imbalance in loading. The attachment device 35 iscomprised of a pair of laterally spaced apart side portions or clipmembers 51A, 51B each similar in construction to the device 15 and beinginterconnected by an intermediate bridge portion 53. The attachmentdevice 35 may be made as for example by extrusion and then forming thenotches 55, 56 after extrusion. The device 35 may also be made from asheet of material as by die cutting and then thermoforming to form thefingers 64, 65 joined by arm 66 and the oppositely facing slots 62, 63in the side portions 51A and 51B. The fingers 64, 65 can have taperedlead-ins 71, 72. The bridge portion 53 can be provided with a pluralityof apertures 74 reinforced with metallic grommets 75. Fasteners can beutilized to attach a holster or the like to the device 35. Suitablefasteners can include rivets, screw fasteners or other mechanical typefasteners. Fastening can be done in a manner to allow removal of thecarried device or load from the attachment device 35.

For rigidity, the device 35 may be provided with formed contours such assidewalls 78 to increase the moment of inertia in the bridge 53 and toprovide an elevated platform with a recess 79 on the back side 80 forfastener heads to be received in permitting below flush mounting of thefasteners. The outer wall 81 extends between and connects the sidewalls78 forming an outer side of the recess 79. The device 35 can be mountedto a carrying device 1 as by having one or more chains of webbing 5 ofthe carrying device 1 received within the slots 62, and preferably twoor more chains of webbing 5 particularly when the device 35 is utilizedto carry heavy equipment like a side arm in a holster. Preferably, onlyone chain of webbing 5 is received within the slots 63. The device 35,because of the bridge 53 being in the way of the arms 66 passing throughsome loops 3, the arms 66 may skip being received through loops 3 of oneor more rows of chains of webbing 5. The length of the arms 66 andfingers 64 may be such as to be received through loops of a plurality ofrows of chains on the carrying device 1 and/or carried device asdesired. The spacing S2 of the ends of the slots 62, 63 is approximatelyequal to the spacing between top and bottom edges of a plurality of rowsof chains of webbing 5, for example 3 to 5 rows of chains of webbing 5.

The devices 15 and 35 may be made from a polymeric material as forexample nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene or the like and can havethickness in the range of between about 0.03 inches and about 0.1 inchesfor the arms 46, 66 and fingers 44, 45, 64, 56 thereof. The devices 15,35 can also be made of a metallic material if desired, or any othersuitable material depending upon the particular application.

Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novelinvention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspectsof the present invention are not limited by the particular details ofthe examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated thatother modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occurto those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” andsimilar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in thesense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Manychanges, modifications, variations and other uses and applications ofthe present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilledin the art after considering the specification and the accompanyingdrawings.

1. A garment with an attachment system for removably mounting a load tothe garment comprising: a garment having a plurality of spaced apartrows of first loop members with spaces therebetween; an attachmentdevice including a clip member having a pair of fingers and a relativelyrigid arm member connected to and extending between the fingers, saidattachment device having a first slot and a second slot with the firstand second slots opening generally toward each other, a said first loopmember in one said row being received in said first slot and a firstloop member in another said row being received in the second said slot;and a load mounted to the attachment device.
 2. The garment of claim 1wherein the load including a second loop member secured thereto andreceiving the arm member therethrough, said second loop being positionedbetween at least two of said first loop members received in said firstand second slots.
 3. An attachment system for mounting a carried deviceto a carrying device, said system including: at least one first loopmember and at least one second loop member secured in spaced apartrelationship on a carrying device; and an attachment device including aclip member having a pair of fingers and an arm connected to andextending between the fingers, said attachment device having a firstslot and a second slot with the first and second slots opening generallytoward each other, a said first loop member being received in a saidfirst slot and a said second loop member being received in a said secondslot.
 4. The attachment system of claim 3 wherein the first loop memberdefining a first opening and the second loop member defining a secondopening, said first opening being generally in alignment with a saidsecond opening.
 5. The attachment system of claim 4 wherein there beinga first row of first loop members with each said first loop memberdefining a respective said first opening and there being a second row ofsecond loop members with each said second loop member defining arespective said second opening.
 6. The attachment system of claim 4including a carried device having at least one third loop memberdefining a third opening with said arm extending therethrough.
 7. Theattachment system of claim 4 wherein the first and second slots being onopposite sides of the arm.
 8. The attachment system of claim 7 whereinthe first and second slots lying in generally parallel planes.
 9. Theattachment system of claim 8 wherein the fingers including a firstfinger and a second finger with the first finger and the arm definingthe first slot, each of said loop members having a height, said firstslot having a length of at least about the height of two said loopmembers and the first slot contains a loop member on the carrying deviceand a loop member on the carried device.
 10. The attachment system ofclaim 9 wherein the second slot having a length about equal to or lessthan about the height of one said loop member received therein.
 11. Theattachment system of claim 4 wherein the arm bridging at least threesaid loop members, of which at least two of said loop members are on thecarrying device and at least one said loop member is on the carrieddevice and positioned between said two loop members on the carryingdevice.
 12. The attachment system of claim 11 wherein the arm ispositioned on the outside of an uppermost loop member on the carryingdevice, on the inside of a loop member on the carried device and on theinside of a lowermost loop member on the carrying device bridged by thearm.
 13. The attachment system of claim 11 wherein the arm bridges atleast five said loop members.
 14. The attachment system of claim 11wherein the ann bridging one more loop member on the carrying devicethan on the carried device.
 15. The attachment system of claim 4 whereinthere being a plurality of rows of loop members with each row of loopmembers including a plurality of laterally positioned loop members. 16.The attachment system of claim 15 wherein the attachment deviceincluding at least two said clip members and a bridge connected to thearm of each said clip member positioning the clip members in a laterallyspaced relationship with each said clip member being mounted torespective said loop members.
 17. The attachment system of claim 16wherein the bridge including an elevated platform on one side thereofand defined by sidewalls and an outer wall member connected to andextending between the sidewalls.
 18. The attachment system of claim 17including at least one load mount device operably associated with theouter wall member.
 19. The attachment system of claim 18 wherein the atleast one load mount device including a plurality of apertures extendingthrough the outer wall member and being in spaced apart relationship.20. The attachment system of claim 19 wherein the attachment devicebeing formed of a polymeric material, said apertures each having ametallic grommet secured to the outer wall member within a respectivesaid aperture.
 21. An attachment system for mounting a carried device toa carrying device, said system including: at least one first loop memberand at least one second loop member secured in spaced apart relationshipon a carrying device; an attachment device having a pair of arm memberspositioned in spaced apart relationship to each other, each arm memberhaving a pair of fingers associated therewith, each finger forming arespective slot in association with said respective arm member, saidslots associated with each respective arm member opening generallytowards each other; and at least one said first loop member beingreceived in one of the slots associated with each of said pair of armmembers and at least one said second loop member being received in theother slot associated with each of said pair of arm members.
 22. Theattachment system of claim 21 wherein the attachment device including abridge member extending between said pair of arm members, said bridgemember including at least one load mount device for attaching a carrieddevice thereto.
 23. The attachment system of claim 22 wherein saidbridge member includes an elevated platform.
 24. An attachment systemfor mounting a carried device to a carrying device, said systemincluding: at least a pair of first loop members and at least a pair ofsecond loop members secured in spaced apart relationship on a carryingdevice; an attachment device having at least a pair of arm memberspositioned in spaced apart relationship to each other and connectedtogether by a bridge member, each arm member having a pair of fingersassociated therewith, said attachment device having first and secondslots associated with each said arm member, said first slots eachopening generally toward a respective said second slot, said bridgemember being adapted for attaching a carried device thereto; and said atleast a pair of first loop members being received in said first slotsand said at least a pair of second loop members being received in saidsecond slots.
 25. An attachment device for mounting a carried device toa carrying device wherein the carrying device includes at least onefirst loop member and at least one second loop member secured in spacedapart relationship on the carrying device, and wherein the carrieddevice includes at least one loop member, said attachment devicecomprising a pair of fingers and an arm member connected to andextending between said fingers, the distal end portion of each fingerbeing positioned in spaced apart relationship relative to each other,each finger forming a slot in association with said arm member, saidslots opening generally towards each other, one of said slots beingadapted to receive the at least one first loop member and said secondslot being adapted to receive the at least one second loop member. 26.The attachment device of claim 25 wherein the at least one loop memberassociated with the carried device is received by said arm member whenthe carried device is mounted thereto.
 27. An attachment device formounting a carried device to a carrying device wherein the carryingdevice includes at least a pair of first loop members and at least apair of second loop members secured in spaced apart relationship on thecarrying device, and wherein the carried device includes at least oneloop member, said attachment device comprising a pair of arm memberspositioned in spaced apart relationship to each other, a bridge memberextending between said pair of arm members, each said arm member havinga pair of fingers associated therewith, each said finger forming a slotin association with its respective arm member, the slots associated witheach respective arm member opening generally towards each other, one ofthe slots associated with each arm member being adapted to receive theat least one of said first loop members therein and the other of saidslots associated with each respective arm member being adapted toreceive the at least one of said second loop members therein.
 28. Anattachment device for mounting a carried device to a carrying devicewherein the carrying device includes at least one first loop member andat least one second loop member positioned in spaced apart relationshipon the carrying device, said attachment device comprising at least twofingers and an arm member connected to and extending between at leasttwo of said fingers, the distal end portion of each said finger beingpositioned in spaced apart relationship relative to each other, eachsaid finger at least partially forming a slot, one of said slots beingadapted to receive the at least one first loop member and said secondslot being adapted to receive the at least one second loop member. 29.The attachment device of claim 28 wherein at least one of the fingersbeing in overlying relationship to a major face portion of the armforming a said slot therebetween.
 30. The attachment device of claim 29wherein said at least two of said fingers both being in overlyingrelationship to a respective major face portion of the arm each forminga slot therebetween.
 31. The attachment device of claim 29 wherein saidslots opening generally towards each other.
 32. The attachment device ofclaim 31 wherein the fingers being positioned on opposite sides of thearm.